I think this is a valid strategy in a company as diverse as Panasonic. Tsuga is making lemonade out of lemons. Air conditioners are now a commodity item. Taking their experience and applying it the EVs makes sense as there is still profit in that and even standard cars would want to integrate an air conditioning system that used less energy and thus improves gas mileage.

I really don't think the majority of the consumer population cares whether their TV is green or not. (I define care as willing to pay 10% more). Call me a cynic. But when the law mandates, the manufacturers must follow.

No doubt. However, that doesn't take away from the claims being a marketing strategy.
Much like claims of "organic food." (The only inorganic food people can ingest in quantity is salt, but why quibble.)

Actually, I agree with Tsuga. If I understand what he's saying, he wants Panasonic to market its various products as eco-friendly. It's a valid marketing strategy.
Say a car company is developing a new model. They will look around for air conditioning vendors. If Panasonic markets auto A/C systems as "green products," designed for greater efficiency than previous ones, that might be enough for the auto company to choose Panasonic.
The trick is to keep manufacturing costs in check while still being able to legitimately make "green" claims. I don't think this is impossible. We see this in new products every day.

Panasonic could learn a lesson on usability from Apple. My home (wired) phone is from Panasonic; I have lost the instruction manual after less than a year and I cannot figure out how to add a number to the phonebook - it is reminescent of mobile phones in the days before the iPhone.

Green is good for your body and our planet...but rarely good for business...unless government provides financial incentives...where I live (Vancouver, BC) most people think we are the green city, but the hard truth is most jobs are related to dirty resources we dig out and transport (we also cut lots of trees which is kind of green in reverse)...so the moral of the story for Panasonic is that if the government pays for it the green strategy is a sound one

In conjunction with unveiling of EE Times’ Silicon 60 list, journalist & Silicon 60 researcher Peter Clarke hosts a conversation on startups in the electronics industry. One of Silicon Valley's great contributions to the world has been the demonstration of how the application of entrepreneurship and venture capital to electronics and semiconductor hardware can create wealth with developments in semiconductors, displays, design automation, MEMS and across the breadth of hardware developments. But in recent years concerns have been raised that traditional venture capital has turned its back on hardware-related startups in favor of software and Internet applications and services. Panelists from incubators join Peter Clarke in debate.